Writing Tip

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Show emotion.

Tell feelings.


Don't tell us 'she was sad.' Show us- 'Her lip trembled, and her eyes burned as she tried to keep her tears at bay.'

Don't show us 'her eyelids were heavy- too heavy. Her limbs could barely function and she couldn't stop yawning.' Tell us - 'she felt tired that morning.'

Showing emotion will bring the reader closer to the characters, to understand their reactions better. But I don't need to read about how slow she was moving due to tiredness. 

Likewise, when you do show, keep it to a max of three sentences. Two paragraphs of 'how she was sad,' with no dialogue or inner thought is just boring.

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